


For The Both Of Them

by ThreePipePr0blem (7percent)



Category: Cabin Pressure, Third Star (2010)
Genre: Cancer, Character Death, M/M, Terminal Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-01
Updated: 2012-07-01
Packaged: 2017-11-08 22:51:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/448436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7percent/pseuds/ThreePipePr0blem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James is ill, Martin worries. He never thought it would be this serious. (Set before Third Star)</p>
            </blockquote>





	For The Both Of Them

It wasn't fair. Those were the words that floated through Martin's mind when ever he spared a thought for his sick boyfriend. James didn't deserve this. Nobody did. Martin just wish he could help the sick man. He wanted nothing more than for James to get better and to live until he was old. Martin would have given anything to help. He just couldn't believe that it had to happen to James of all people.

*

Martin glanced over to the double bed where his partner laid. The brown haired man had been terribly ill. He had been complaining of pain, spending most days curled up on himself with a packet of ibuprofen at his side. The young man had developed a cough three weeks ago that didn't seem to want to leave and Martin was starting to worry about the amount of weight that James seemed to be losing. 

The pilot walked over to the taller man and ran his fingers through his brown locks. James turned around and looked into Martin's saddened eyes.

“Hey” He croaked out. 

Martin smiled. “Hey.” He uttered softly. He moved his hand down to the stubble covered cheek that belonged to the ill man. “I'm worried about you, you know.” 

“I'm sorry.” James frowned.

“Hey, it's not your fault. You can't help that you've been under the weather lately.” Martin leant down and kissed James' forehead affectionately before sighing and looking straight at his boyfriend. “I-” he hesitated, “I have a job on Friday. I tried to get out of it, but Carolyn had said the client paid a lot of money and we can't afford to-”

“Go Martin.” James interrupted. “I know how much flying means to you. I won't allow you to miss out on the thing you love just because I'm-” a coughing fit attacked James' lungs. The pressure was to great and James physically couldn't breathe. It wasn't until he felt Martin's hands lift him up and press a glass of water to his lips that he seemed to regain control of his body. “Thank you.”

They sat in a comfortable silence, James slowly sipping on the glass of water, Martin petting the sick man's hair slightly. It was a few minutes before the captain spoke up. “If I go on this flight, you have to promise me you'll go to the doctor. Okay?” He kissed the younger man's temple. 

“I promise.”

*

It had been a long flight. Martin hadn't seen James in nearly a week and he was worried about him. He had only received the two texts from his boyfriend. One saying 'I've booked the appointment for tomorrow' and one the following day saying 'When you get back we'll need to talk.' That was on Sunday. It was late Friday evening. 

Martin fished the keys out of his pocket and tip toed into the shared apartment James and he shared. After they had agreed to move in together they seemed to have enough money to live in a shared apartment rather than his attic. He quietly opened the door and found James sleeping on the couch with an old patchwork quilt covering him. The captain gasped.

James was paler than the last time Martin had seen him. Dark circles around his eyes where more prominent and even though he was covered by a thick blanket, Martin could see that James was thinner, almost too thin. The ginger haired man took off his shoes and moved over to James, kneeling on the floor beside him. He placed his lips to the younger man's forehead. James blinked his eyes at the feel of soft lips on his skin and then smiled when he saw it was Martin.

“Hello sleepy head, feeling any better?” 

“You're back.” James sighed. “Not really. Turns out...” He glanced at the pilot. “You may want to sit down for this.” James moved his legs to make room for Martin. He took hold of his hands and looked up the captain's grey eyes which held so many emotions. Sadness. Worry. Love. It surprised James how lucky he had seemed to be to have such a brilliant man fall in love with him. “They... they think it might be cancer.” 

Martin pulled back. He couldn't believe it. “No.” James looked down at his feet, he didn't want to show Martin the tears that fell down his cheeks. “Shit.” The older of the two took his hands and placed it on the others cheeks, feeling the tears run over his fingers. “James, this isn't your fault. We'll pull through. I promise.” They shared a kiss. One in desperation. One that expressed how scared they both were. When they broke apart Martin spoke again. “Have they tested you yet?”

“No. They're going to get back to me within the next few days.” the captain nodded. He needed to stay strong, for the both of them.

*

A few weeks had passed, James' results had came back with bad results. His mother had insisted that he were to stay with her. James had protested and only agreed to stay with her closer to his birthday. Before he and his friends set of to Barafundle bay. 

Before James had left, Martin had held lightly onto his arm, turned the man towards him and pressed a loving kiss to his lips. “Remember I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

“I'll see you when you come back.”

“When I get back.” James moved out of the embrace and headed to the taxi waiting for him. They both knew he wouldn't be coming back. The taxi drove away so Martin shut the door, only to slip down towards the floor and crying into his knees. It as time to sell the apartment and go back to his attic. He would fly the plane. He would earn money with the van. It would be as if James never existed, but the hole in his heart was too big. It created a mass of tears and large heart wrenching sobs. Martin needed to be strong. For the both of them.

**Author's Note:**

> I know. I'm a terrible person. Not beta'd.


End file.
